Starting Oct. 1, parents with children aged 15 or younger will have only to pay 5 percent of their hospitalization costs subject to health insurance.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW)보건복지부 made a prior announcement of revisions in the enforcement decrees of the Health Insurance Law and Healthcare Insurance Payment Law, aimed to promote the government’s “measures to strengthen the coverage of health insurance,” announced by President Moon Jae-in early this month.

The ministry has decided to shorten the announcement period to Aug. 24-Sept. 4 for the swift application of the expanded coverage for such parts as the cutting hospitalization costs for children under 15 from 10-20 percent of the total to 5 percent, reducing costs for filling the cavity for under-18 group from 30-60 percent to 10 percent, and for dentures from 10-20 percent to 5 percent, from Oct. 1.

And the upper limit of individual shares for people in bottom 50 percent of medical insurance income will decrease from 1.2 million won ($1,061) to 800,000 won for the first group, from 1.5 million won to 1 million won for the second and third groups, and from 2 million won to 1.5 million won for the fourth and fifth groups, while costs for selective treatment will be deleted from the list of uncovered items.

To help ease the burdens of medical bills on medical care beneficiaries, the ministry also plans to make prior announcement of revisions to the Medical Care Law on Friday.

The upper limit for the type-2 qualified recipients will decrease from 1.2 million won to 800,000 won (from 600,000 to 400,000 won in six months). And the share of individuals’ burden from the hospitalization of children aged 15 or less will drop from 10 percent to 3 percent, sharply reducing financial costs for the vulnerable class.

“We expect the revision will set the institutional foundation to reduce the financial burdens of socially and economically vulnerable classes by reducing individuals’ shares and lowering the ceilings of payments by elderly and children,” the ministry said.

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